The Darkest Hour
by fallenfromlighttodark
Summary: Gods are disappearing from Mt. Olympus and no one knows where they've gone. Some strange guy claiming to be a vampire appears at camp, too. A prophecy says that the demigods and immortals must join, or the world will fall...and no one will survive. Rated T for language in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Daphne's P.O.V.**

_**Black smoke swirled around Daphne. A woman's voice echoed in her head, "You know what you will do. You will kill them, kill them all. All of them will lay dead by the summer solstice." **_

"_**No. I won't." Daphne shakily said.**_

"_**Ah, but you will. You will bring me two bodies, those of the Pravus and the ocean's son, by the solstice. If you fail, all Hell will be unleashed."**_

"_**The Pravus and the ocean's son…?" Daphne asked.**_

"_**All shall soon be revealed to you, child. But remember, I will be watching you."**_

_**The black smoke thickened so that Daphne couldn't see. She was being strangled, she couldn't breathe, she was screaming, someone was calling her name…**_

"Daphne! Daphne, wake up!" someone was screaming. Daphne's sight came into focus. She was staring at a gorgeous bronze-skinned girl with long, straight black hair and chocolate-brown eyes. It was her friend, Selena.

"Selena?" Daphne asked. "What happened?"

Selena said, "I don't know, you looked like you saw a ghost and then started screaming. Are you okay?"

Daphne nodded. She chose not to tell her friend about the…dream, was it? She instead asked, "Did anyone else hear me?"

As if to answer her, two people came running to find Selena and Daphne. It was Percy Jackson and his girlfriend, Annabeth. _Great,_ Daphne thought,_ the new guy and the freaky ninja chick._

**Percy's P.O.V.**

Percy ran with Annabeth to an area in camp by a lake. Standing there were two girls he barely knew; one of them, most likely the pretty one, a daughter of Aphrodite, and the other a daughter of…Apollo, maybe? Percy didn't know. What he _did _know was that someone had been screaming.

"Are you guys okay?" Percy asked.

The pretty girl started to talk, but was cut off by her friend. "Yeah, we're fine."

Percy looked at the other girl. It's not that she wasn't pretty; she was. She had pale skin, long, light brown hair, and eyes that looked like liquid gold. It was just that standing next to an Aphrodite child, she needed a second glance.

"Who are you?" Annabeth asked them.

"My name's Selena Halle. This is my friend, Daphne Blane." The daughter of Aphrodite said.

"You, Daphne, you're an Apollo child, right?" Annabeth asked.

Daphne nodded. "And you are Annabeth, Athena's daughter. And you are Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon."

Just then, Chiron came up to the group. Looking worried, he said, "All of you, come with me."

The confused group followed Chiron back to the main part of camp. Most all of the campers were gathered around someone. Daphne made her way to the center of the circle and saw what everyone was looking at: a pale teenage boy, in a black hoodie, with black hair. Percy saw a shock of immediate recognition stuck Daphne.

"Do you know him?" he whispered to her.

She shook her head. "I've never seen him before in my life…But still, it feels like…"

Daphne didn't finish talking. At that moment, the campfire that always glowed flared up, turning a violent shade of red. The campers backed away as a woman's voice whispered in each of their ears.

"_The ocean's son and the Pravus…"_

_What the heck?_ Percy wondered. He looked at Daphne, knowing she knew something, but what he didn't know.

**Me: So that's chapter one. Please comment! **

**Percy: HELP! I've been kidnapped and stuck in a FanFiction!**

**Me: Deal with it, Percy, or no cookies for you.**

**Vlad: Hey, I'm with Percy. I WANT TO GO BACK TO BATHORY!**

**Me: And deal with vampires that want to kill you?**

**Vlad: You've got a point…what kind of cookies?**

**Percy: VLAD!**

**Me: Chocolate chip!**

**Percy: Great. A vampire will eat the cookies and not help me.**

**Me: Hee hee hee…**


	2. Chapter 2

**Selena's P.O.V.**

The fire dwindled down back to normal as the voice silenced. Everyone looked around uneasily, worried about what had just happened. No one seemed to notice at first that the stranger had sat up and was looking around. Selena looked on as Daphne slowly approached him. Suddenly something strange happened to Selena: the scene appeared different to her.

Daphne's camp outfit changed to a beautiful ancient-Grecian style one-shoulder dress. Her shoes changed to gold sandals, and her hair was out of its ponytail and flying freely. The guy was out of his gothic clothing and instead wearing ancient-Grecian warrior clothing. The scenery, instead of a forest clearing, was a seemingly endless beach.

Daphne crouched down by the strange guy. "Who are you?" she asked.

"Who am I? Who are _you_?" he asked her. "And where the heck am I?"

"My name is Daphne Blane. This is Camp Half-Blood, a place for demigods. I'm a daughter of the Greek god Apollo." Daphne gently said.

"Wait…Greek gods? But...they don't exist." The guy said.

Daphne gently placed her hand on the guy's shoulder. "What's your name?"

"Vladimir Tod. I'm from Bathory." The guy said.

Selena's vision changed back to normal as Daphne helped the guy—Vladimir—stand up.

"Vladimir is a Russian name, right?" one of the other campers asked.

Vladimir nodded. "I go by Vlad."

Annabeth walked forward with another girl. Everyone knew who she was—Rachel, the current Oracle. She spoke silently to Chiron. Chiron looked around.

"Percy, Daphne, Selena. I need to see you, along with Annabeth. And you, Vladimir Tod." Chiron said, beckoning the called people into his cabin.

"It's okay, Chiron is a good guy." Daphne reassured Vlad.

"But…he's…"

Daphne smiled. "We'll help you understand everything, ok? Right now just come with me."

Daphne helped Vlad walk into Chiron's cabin. _She seems like she knows him,_ Selena thought. _But that's impossible…isn't it?_

**Vlad's P.O.V.**

What. The. Hell. Vlad had just woken up in a strange place, was approached by a strange but really pretty girl, and told that he was surrounded by "demigods" who were children of Greek gods. Plus, he had just seen a centaur.

This _had_ to be a dream. That was the only explanation. But still…the girl, Daphne…when she had touched him, he'd _felt_ it. Like it was real. Vlad's thoughts were interrupted by one of the girls speaking.

"For our new guest, I'm Rachel, the oracle." She said. Suddenly this weird green mist swirled around her. As if like it was rehearsed, two guys caught her from falling while the pretty girl grabbed a stool for her.

"_The traitor will arise_

_The heroes will die_

_Blood of a blood-lover_

_Mixes with the blood of a god's daughter_

_They fall in vain_

_After suffering immeasurable pain_

_For their love is cursed_

_From first sight, from birth_

_The god's wrath causes despair_

_The blame the surviving heroes secretly share"_

_This girl is insane,_ thought Vlad, but everyone else seemed to be actually considering what she'd said.

"So two people are going to die." Daphne said, matter-of-fact.

Vlad blinked. "So she spits out rhymes and all of a sudden two people are going to die?"

Daphne nodded. "She's the oracle. That's her prophecy. When a traitor arises, cursed lovers die. The lovers are cursed to die from their birth."

A beautiful girl, who reminded Vlad of Meredith, spoke up. "She said the 'blood of a blood-lover mixes with the blood of a god's daughter'. That means someone who loves blood will die, along with one of the gods' daughters."

Chiron nodded. "I believe the blood-lover part is a reference to either A, someone who loves to kill people, or B, a vampire. I'm betting on option B. Wouldn't you agree, Vladimir?"

Vlad felt a chill go through him. _How did that guy know?_

**Daphne's P.O.V.**

She was going to die.

She didn't know how, but something in her soul knew that the prophecy meant her. She was so lost in thought, she almost missed what Chiron said about vampires.

"Vampires?" Percy asked. "Sure, why not. We're the kids of Greek gods, who says vampires don't exist."

The guy—Vlad—looked kind of freaked out to Daphne, although she didn't know why.

_The Pravus and the ocean's son…_

"Tell us, Vlad. You're a vampire, aren't you?" Chiron said.

Vlad was shocked silent. Finally he managed to say, "How did you know?"

Chiron said, as if he came across vampires on a daily basis, "Your skin is unnaturally pale, even for someone who hates the sun. Plus your fangs are too believable to be false. That and I've been around a very long time. You're not the first vampire I've ever met."

Vlad didn't speak. He just slowly nodded.

"So we know that Vlad and any daughter of a god is not safe."

Percy nodded. "And that the two that die will suffer horrible pain."

"Great…" Vlad mumbled.

"How can we protect everyone?" Percy asked. "It's impossible; especially considering there are many children we don't know their location."

"Well, Vlad is obviously part of the prophecy." Selena said.

Vlad looked at his shoes. When he looked up, his eyes met those of Daphne's. It was strange, but somehow when he looked at her, everything else faded away.

Then they felt the first shakes of the earthquake.

**Selena: Hey, why is he more interested in her than me?**

**Daphne: Hey!  
**

**Percy: Um, hello? EARTHQUAKE?**

**Daphne: Oh yeah.**

**Daphne/Selena: AAAAAAAHHHHHH!**

**Annabeth: They do know that it's just in the FanFic, right…?**

**Me: I love this job. **


	3. Chapter 3

**I am **_**sooo sorry**_** that I haven't updated before now! *hangs head in shame* One thing led to another and I got distracted(it doesn't take much), but I **_**promise**_** there will be more updates soon! **

**I have like seven billion ideas going on in my head right now, please check out my other stories especially ****Gone****, my newest one and a Naruto fanfic. **

**I don't really have much to say here except enjoy reading! :)**

**Vlad's P.O.V.**

"Everyone grab on to something!" Chiron shouted, clutching a corner of the wall. Immediately Vlad grabbed the nearest thing, a statue of a lion. Under different circumstances he probably would've questioned the statue, but considering there was a freaking _earthquake_ he didn't really have time. Things started falling off of shelves, and Vlad was suddenly very afraid that the candelabra would fall on them.

"Oh my god, Daphne! Move!" the prettier girl in the room-_Selena?_-shouted, holding on to a coat hook for dear life.

Vlad looked over at Daphne. She was holding on to a statue of a tiger-_What is it with this guy and animal statues?_ Vlad wondered-in the middle of the room. Directly under the candelabra that was about to fall.

He moved before he could process what was happening. With his vampiric speed, he raced over to her, grabbed her around the waist, and knocked her out of the way. At that exact moment, the candelabra fell to the ground, crushing the statue. _It would've crushed her_, Vlad thought. He was breathing heavily. And he was laying on top of her. On. Freaking. Top of her. His hands were on either side of her head and his upper body was pushed up, but other than that he was on top of her.

_Oh shit_, Vlad thought. About that time he realized that a large bookshelf had fallen in front of them, blocking anyone else's view of them.

"Are you alright?" Vlad asked, looking into the girl's eyes. Suddenly the rest of the world, including the earthquake, faded away. There was only him and the girl he had just saved from being crushed.

"Yeah." she breathed. "Thank you."

"No problem."

The real world came back to him, and Vlad realized that the earthquake had stopped. He got up and held out his hand to help Daphne up. She took it, and he pulled her into a standing position. They climbed over the bookshelf.

"Oh my god, Daph! Are you okay?" Selena asked, running over to her friend.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Daphne said.

Percy addressed Vlad. "That was crazy fast. You okay?" Vlad nodded.

"I'm going to go make sure the other campers are okay." Chiron said. "Annabeth, why don't you come with me?"

"Of course." Annabeth said.

"Percy, please help Vlad get situated in Hades' house, considering that is the only place we have room for him. Everyone else, return to business as usual." Chiron said before walking out with Annabeth on his heels.

"Come on, Vlad. I gotta warn you; Hades' house isn't very warm and welcoming." Percy said before leading Vlad out the door.

Before he left, Vlad turned to take one last look at Daphne. She met his eye and gave a small smile. He smiled too, then turned back around to follow Percy through the camp.

**Percy's P.O.V.**

"You'll be bunking by yourself, I'm afraid." Percy said. "But I'm right over there if you need anything."

"Hades doesn't have kids?" Vlad asked.

Percy shook his head. "No, the Big Three vowed not to have any children." Vlad's looked very confused, so Percy explained. "The Big Three are Zeus, god of the sky and god of gods, Hades, god of the underworld, and Poseidon, god of the sea and my father. They all agreed that it is far too dangerous for them to have demigod children, considering they're the most powerful gods."

"How is your father Poseidon then?" Vlad asked.

"Well...sometimes they like to break the rules. I'm the only son of Poseidon that we know of." Percy explained as the two boys reached Hades' cabin. "Here we are."

The outside looked ominous enough, what with it being huge and black and having a skull hanging over the door. Turns out the inside was even worse. In the middle of the room was a giant statue of a scary looking man. He wore long robes, his expression looked terrifying and his hair was shoulder length, though it was all marble so Vlad couldn't see colors.

"Hades isn't really a nice guy." Percy said. "His children haven't been either."

"I can tell." Vlad muttered.

"It's pretty much impossible to make yourself comfortable in here, so why don't you go check out the camp?" Percy suggested, realizing that Vlad probably didn't want to stay longer than necessary in such a dismal place. "Someone will find you when it's time for dinner."

"Okay."

Percy left, headed out to find Chiron and Annabeth. Something about that earthquake and it conveniently stopping right after Vlad pushed Daphne out of the way of the candelabra felt...wrong. It didn't sit right with him. Percy was beginning to wonder if there was a chance that _he_ was involved.

_No, that's impossible._ Percy thought. _We defeated him_.

Still, as he searched for Chiron and his girlfriend, he couldn't help but let his mind wander.

**Me: Sorry that it's so short, I'll be updating longer chapters soon I promise :) Please review and don't forget to check out my other stories please kay thanks :)**

**Percy: Woah woah woah. Wait. You made Daphne almost **_**die**_**? In the **_**third chapter**_**?**

**Me: Well I knew Vlad would save her, duh.**

**Percy: Still, isn't that kinda...extreme?**

**Vlad: No, Percy. Extreme would've been killing Daphne right then and there.**

**Percy: WHY ARE YOU NOT ON MY SIDE AGAINST HER, PERCY?**

**Vlad: The chocolate chip cookies, Percy. They're good.**

**Percy: WHERE ARE YOUR LOYALTIES, MAN? SHE'S PROBABLY PLOTTING TO KILL YOU OFF IN SOME CRAZY DRAMATIC WAY!**

**Vlad: But...but...the cookies.**

**Me: You two amuse me so :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm so sorry again for the long time in between updates! School started and I got distracted. But I promise to try and update all my stories every weekend. Oh, one more thing I want to address: I received a review from Novanto about Nico bunking in Hades' cabin. Nico right now isn't important to my story, I may be adding him in later but I'm not sure. So for now let's just say that no one in Camp Half-Blood knows about Nico, which is why he isn't staying there. I'm also going to be working on adding more detail. Please stick with me! Haha. Without further comments from me, here is the fourth chapter of The Darkest Hour.**

**Vlad**

Vlad lay on the bed in Hades' cabin. True, it wasn't the most inviting of places, but it gave him space and privacy to think. He tried to remember, tried desperately to remember _anything_ about how he'd gotten there, but he couldn't. Instead, he focused on people back home. _Home_. Bathory. With Nelly, Otis, Henry…everyone he loved. How could he get back to them? Did they know he was gone? Were they looking for him? And what about Snow, what was she thinking?

_How did I get here?_ He asked himself over and over, pressing his hands to his head. Finally he gave up, closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep.

**Annabeth**

Percy had caught up to her and Chiron. They were seated in Chiron's office, beginning to discuss all that had happened.

"Let's start with what we know." Annabeth, the logical one, said. "About three hours ago, Percy and I were walking. We heard a scream; it was Daphne's. She said she was fine. Immediately after, Vlad shows up passed out on the ground. When the entire camp is around him, we all hear some freaky voice that sounds like it belongs to a woman saying something about the ocean's song and the Pravus, whatever that is."

"When we first saw Vlad, Daphne looked like she knew him but said she didn't." Percy added in.

"Then that earthquake. It stopped as soon as Vlad saved Daphne." Annabeth said.

"You think they know each other somehow?" Percy asked.

Annabeth shook her head. "No. I think that there's something deeper going on, but right now I don't understand what. I don't think they do either."

"And what about Rachel's prophecy?" Percy remembered aloud. "'Blood of a blood-lover mixes with blood of a god's daughter'…obviously that means Vlad and possibly Daphne."

Chiron was silent, thoughtful. Finally he spoke. "I think that the only thing we can do right now is watch and wait. And keep those two as far apart as possible. The last thing we need is the death of one of Apollo's favorite daughters."

Percy and Annabeth nodded simultaneously. They were surprised when Chiron sighed heavily.

"What is it?" Annabeth asked.

"I have a feeling that keeping them apart is going to be much, much harder than we think it is." Chiron said.

**No P.O.V.**

Dinner passed smoothly, without problems. Vlad sat with Percy, talking and laughing, though his eyes kept drifting over to where Daphne sat with a group of musicians. Their eyes would meet, they'd smile shyly and then immediately look away. Annabeth kept an eye on everyone without appearing to look at anyone. Selena socialized with other beautiful people, Aphrodite's children, laughing and having a good time. Chiron prayed to the gods.

Eventually it was time for everyone to get some sleep. While most of the camp dreamed, two lay thinking, kept awake by minds that refused to go to sleep; a pale, mysterious stranger with an inhuman thirst for blood, and a beautiful demigod with eyes like gold.


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm sorry for the long time in between updating! I'll be updating as often as possible this weekend, but both of my computers are totally dead so I can only update when I can. Again, I apologize. So I'll try to make this one a good chapter for you guys :)**

**Annabeth P.O.V.**

It had been a week since the earthquake and Chiron's decision to keep Vlad and Daphne apart. His prediction about that being a difficult task proved to be true; Annabeth and Percy had been doing all they could to keep the two separate, but somehow they still managed to slip away together. Annabeth was sitting next to the lake with Percy discussing this matter.

"What are we going to do?" she asked. "We can't just let them be together; what if something happens? Imagine Apollo's fury if anything happened to Daphne." she shuddered at the thought.

"Well obviously they're not going to just stay away from each other. You've given Daphne things to do just like I've tried to keep Vlad busy, but somehow they still find time." Percy said.

Annabeth sighed. "This is impossible. You'd think they're in love when they just met a week ago!"

Percy was thoughtful. "Why don't you have Selena talk to Daphne and I'll talk to Vlad, see if we can figure out why it is that they want to be together so much. Then if, say, Vlad tells me he has a girlfriend, and we tell Daphne..."

Annabeth stared at Percy for a second, amazed at her boyfriend. "That's actually a good idea."

"Yeah, I have those sometimes." he said back.

"I'm going to go find Selena. You find Vlad." Annabeth said, jumping up and starting to leave. She abruptly turned back and kissed him quick. "Bye."

Annabeth ran through camp, asking around until she finally found Selena. She was training with one of Ares' sons. They were sword fighting. _She may have a pretty face and be better at telling you just why you're outfit's ugly, but _damn_ that girl can use a sword_, Annabeth thought before calling out to her.

"Selena! Come over here for a second."

Selena ducked out of the way of the boy's attack, put down her sword, waved goodbye, and approached Annabeth. "What's up?"

"Walk with me."

The two girls walked into the woods, where no one else could hear them. "So...is something going on between Daphne and Vlad?"

"Why are you asking?" Selena asked, immediately cautious.

Annabeth shrugged. "Just curious."

"Well you can take your curiousity and go throw it in the lake, because it's none of your business what Vlad or Daphne do, alright?" Selena said, turning to go.

_Damn!_ Annabeth thought. It wasn't going to be easy to get Selena to help her; she was more loyal to Daphne than she'd expected. "The prophecy. We're afraid it means that Vlad and Daphne are going to die. We want to keep them apart to save her." Annabeth quickly said.

Selena stopped and bit her lip. She was silent for a minute, obviously thinking about the prophecy. "You really think it means her, that she'll die?"

Annabeth nodded. "Yes. Is there anything you can tell me that I can maybe use to keep them apart?"

Selena stared hard at Annabeth, seemingly trying to decide if she could trust her. "I'll talk to her." she finally said.

"Thank you." Annabeth replied.

The two girls went on their separate ways. Annabeth breathed a sigh of relief as she walked away.

**Percy P.O.V.**

Percy and Vlad were sitting under a shady tree on the opposite side of the lake that Annabeth and Selena were on. They'd been casually chatting for a few minutes now when Percy decided it was time to bring up Daphne. Vlad, however, beat him to it.

"What did you guys mean when you said that Daphne was one of Apollo's favorite daughters?" he asked.

_Thank Gods _I_ didn't have to bring her up_, Percy thought. He said, "Daphne was the name of a nymph Apollo was in love with back in ancient times. She had her father turn her into a tree to avoid marrying him. When Apollo met Daphne's mom, Lauren, he thought she looked just like Daphne and was immediately lovestruck. Of course, he loved that she played the harp beautifully. So he decided to reveal to her who he really was, and when she was born they named her Daphne."

Vlad blinked. "Her mom allowed her kid to be named after one of her boyfriend's past love interests?" He said slowly.

"Pretty much. She was very much in love with Apollo, or so I've heard, so naturally when he suggested it she went along with it." Percy began to change the subject more towards the present. "Daphne's incredibly talented; you can hand her any instrument and within an hour she's figured out at least the basics. She has an amazing voice, too. I heard her sing once, when she thought no one was listening. She's also one of the most beautiful girls in camp that isn't a daughter of Aphrodite." He glanced at Vlad out of the corner of his eye.

"Yeah, she is." Vlad nodded his agreement.

"She seems pretty interested in you..."

Vlad looked at Percy. "You think?"

"Yeah, definitely. You can tell by the look in her eye when you're around." Okay, _that_ was a little bit exaggerated, but you could definitely tell.

"Hmm."

Percy raised his eyebrows. "Aren't you interested in her?"

"Well yeah, who wouldn't be? She's gorgeous, talented, caring, smart...Only a complete idiot wouldn't be into her."

"So what's the problem, man?"

Vlad was silent for a minute. "There's this girl. Back home. Snow."

"And...?" Percy asked, barely able to contain his excitment. _This is too perfect, _he thought. _This is just what we need to keep them apart. Thank the Gods._

Vlad sighed. "And...she's my girlfriend."

**That's all for now! I promised a longer chapter, this one is significantly longer haha. I'll be doing my best to update. Please rate and review, thanks :)**

**Annabeth: *in a singsong voice* He has a girlfriend, he has a girlfriend! This is perfect, he has a girlfriend!**

**Selena: What the hell...? Wait why is it good if he has a girlfriend? Won't that kinda hurt Daphne...?**

**Me: Yup.**

**Percy: I have a feeling this could backfire REALLY bad.**

**Me: Yup.**

**Percy: ARE YOU GONNA MAKE IT BACKFIRE?!**

**Me: Hee hee...stick around, Percy. Not that you have a choice anyways.**

**Percy: YOU ARE EVIL.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Vlad P.O.V.**

Snow. He could see her so clearly in his mind; vampiric pale skin even though she was mortal, glossy black hair, beautiful smile. He missed her.

"You have a girlfriend?" Percy asked. Vlad nodded. "Well that changes things, doesn't it? I thought you and Daphne would get together."

Vlad sighed. "That's the problem. I'm really starting to like Daphne. I mean I have no idea how or when I'm going to get home, but I _will_ go home. I don't really know what to do." he confessed.

_He must really trust me to be telling me all of this,_ Percy thought. Briefly he felt a pang of regret because he knew he was just going to use Vlad's honesty against him, but he pushed it away with the thought that if he didn't Daphne would die and Apollo would start a riot. "There's really only one thing you can do." he said.

"What's that?" Vlad asked, eager to find a solution to the predicament of the heart he was in.

"Stay away from Daphne."

"What?" _What?_ Vlad thought. _Stay away from her?_

"You have to stop these feelings for her before they grow too much. You've got a girlfriend back home who you really love, right?" Vlad nodded. "So the only sensible thing to do is stop liking Daphne now before things go too far. The only way to do that is to stay away from her."

Vlad had to admit, although he didn't like the idea of keeping Daphne at bay, Percy had a point. He had to stop his feelings for Daphne because he _did_ love Snow, and that wasn't fair to her. But Daphne was his friend above anything else; pushing her away wasn't really fair to her, was it?

Percy seemed to read Vlad's mind. "Daphne might be your friend, but Snow's your _girlfriend_. Plus once you go home, who knows if you'll ever be able to come back? Don't screw up with your girlfriend for some girl you don't know."

"That's kind of harsh." Vlad said, shocked at Percy. He thought he and Daphne were closer to friends or something.

"Daphne and I aren't friends. It can't be too bad for either of you to stop whatever's going on now considering you've only known each other for what, a week?"

Vlad was silent, thinking. Daphne was a good friend to him, but Snow _was_ his girlfriend. He didn't want anything bad on his concience. "You're right." he finally said, slowly. "I'll talk to her tonight after dinner."

Percy nodded. Vlad had no way of knowing how secretly thrilled he was. Instead, all he could think of was what a great guy Percy was to help him out with this.

**Daphne P.O.V.**

Daphne sat alone in one of the music rooms in the camp. Light came softly in through the many windows. Her hair was pulled back, out of her face so she could see what she was doing. Her pencil moved over the blank sheet music quickly, leaving the groundwork for a beautiful melody in its wake. She stopped at the third page, ready to play and try it out.

Her fingers rested lightly on the keys, poised, ready to begin. She closed her eyes and imagined her mother was sitting next to her, waiting to hear her progress, her amber eyes glowing with excitement as she watched her daughter's musical skill grow. Daphne's own golden eyes opened, and she began.

The melody was just as she'd imagined it; light and gently flowing forward, moving from D minor to F major and back to D minor with ease. About halfway through she heard the door open. She ignored it and continued playing until she was done.

"That sounds beautiful, Daph." came Selena's voice from behind her. Daphne turned and smiled.

"Thanks." she moved away from the piano, grabbing the sheet music and approaching her friend.

"Come walk with me for a minute." Selena said, grabbing Daphne's hand and pulling her outside.

The two girls strolled through camp until they reached the training grounds. Selena sat and began to watch two attractive boys, one the same boy she'd been fighting earlier, one another child of Aphrodite, sword fight. Daphne sat next to her.

"What's up?" Daphne asked, curious. Selena hardly ever pulled her away from the music room unless it was something important.

"Do you like Vlad?" Selena asked.

Daphne was totally caught off guard. "What? N-No, why do you ask? That's totally random, Sel." Selena gave Daphne a knowing look. Daphne sighed and decided to give up her denial; Selena could always tell when she liked someone. "Yes."

"I knew it!" Selena squealed. Daphne expected her to start gushing about how she could totally tell, but Selena surprised her by suddenly becoming serious. "You can't be with him."

"What?" Daphne asked. "Who said I was going to get with him? I just _met_ him."

"I know, but...you can't be with him. He's one of the people in the prophecy. What if it's _you_ that dies?" Selena's eyes showed the worry she was feeling. Daphne smiled at her friend.

"Sel, I'll be fine. Vlad and I are just friends, no matter how much I might or might not like him."

Selena sighed, from...relief? Daphne couldn't tell. She changed the subject. "Seems like _you_ have a thing for Tyler." she said, gesturing to the Ares boy with her eyes. He was pretty cute, and totally Selena's type; tall, muscular, short blonde hair, bright blue eyes, gorgeous tan.

Selena laughed. "Yeah, kind of."

Daphne felt a brief pang of jealousy. Selena was so beautiful, she didn't need to hide when she was interested in someone because chances are they were already in love with her. _Beautiful people stick together_, Daphne thought, tuning back in to the conversation.

**That's all for this chapter! Nothing too dramatic, but wait till the next chapter ;) Please rate and review!**

**Percy: Does anyone else feel bad about screwing with Vlad and Daphne? Because I do...**

**Me: Aww, is Percy going soft?**

**Annabeth: Come on, it was **_**your**_** idea, you can't have feel guilty before we even get started!**

**Percy: I'm not soft!**

**Annabeth: You better not be.**

**Me: You totally are.**

**Percy: AM NOT!**

**Annabeth: He's in denial.**

**Me: Denial is the first stage.**

**Percy: Damn women...**


	7. Chapter 7

**Selena P.O.V.**

Selena had just left Daphne when she was approached by Percy. "Come with me a minute." he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her somewhere they could talk.

"What's up?" Selena asked.

"Vlad has a girlfriend back home." Percy said, his excitement seeping through. "He's gonna tell her they can't be near each other tonight."

"He does? He is?" Selena asked. She bit her lip, thinking.

"What is it?" Percy asked. "You can't be having second thoughts. This is the only way to protect her, to save her. Unless you want her to die."

Selena's eyes were full of fire when she said, "Of course not. I'd never want to see her hurt, especially knowing I could've stopped it. That goes for right now too. I know it's gonna hurt her when he tells her to keep away from him tonight."

"Heartbreak is better than death." Percy pointed out.

Selena looked away. "I know, but...what if this doesn't stop the prophecy? Or what if she isn't even the girl the prophecy is talking about? Then I'd be breaking her heart for nothing."

"You aren't doing anything but being a good friend." Percy said.

Selena sighed. "If this backfires on us, it's going on you and Annabeth." She said in a threatening voice before walking away.

_Please, Gods, don't let this backfire..._ she thought to herself as she headed towards her cabin.

**Vlad P.O.V.**

Dinner seemed to come quicker that night than any other since he'd been there. As he walked into the mess hall, the knot in his stomach grew. _Is this really a good idea?_ he wondered. _No, Vlad, don't back out now. You have to do this. For Snow. _

He ate quickly, keeping up light conversation with some Ares kid next to him, avoiding Daphne's eyes at all costs. He could feel her eyes on him through the night, but he refused to meet them. As soon as dinner was over, he jumped up and practically ran out, slowing to a stop right outside of the door. People passed in a blur until he saw who he was looking for.

He grabbed Daphne's arm and pulled her away from the group, back behind Hades' cabin, where no one would see them. It was getting dark.

"Um, hi." she said. "What's up?"

"We have to talk." he said. Daphne's eyes immediately flooded with an emotion Vlad couldn't place, but she quickly pushed it away, so fast he thought he imagined it.

"What about?" she asked.

He sighed. "This. Us. We...we can't let things go any further than they are."

"What do you mean?" Daphne asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"I have a girlfriend back home that I really love. I can't let things go anywhere with you." Vlad said. Daphne's eyes widened. She didn't bother to hide the hurt that filled them. Vlad felt his heart drop.

"A girlfriend." she repeated in a low voice.

"Yes. So I can't be around you. We can't hang out or anything because I-"

"Wait." Daphne cut him off. "You have a girlfriend so we can't be _friends_? That's all we were, Vlad."

"That's not necessarily all I wanted to be." Vlad blurted out before he could stop himself.

Daphne raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Nothing." Vlad quickly said.

"No, you just said that's not what you wanted to be." Daphne said. She stepped forward, closer to him. Vlad could smell her vanilla-scented perfume-god why did vanilla smell so good?-and her blood. A negative. Yum.

Vlad blinked to break himself out of the daze she was putting him in. _Damn, she's so...I don't even know the word._ Vlad thought.

"We don't hardly know each other, Vlad, but I feel like we could end up really good friends. If you weren't ending anything before it could begin." Daphne said, her voice a whisper. She uncrossed her arms and put her hands on his shoulders. Vlad's heart skipped a beat. She got on her tiptoes and put her lips by his ear. He couldn't move, couldn't take more than a shallow breath. What was this hold she had over him? "If you're doing this because you're starting to like me, you could've just said so. I'm starting to like you, too." she whispered.

Then she placed a quick kiss on his cheek before turning and walking away, back towards her cabin. Before she was completely out of his sight, she turned to look back at Vlad. A small, heartbreakingly sad smile was on her face. Her eyes were full of hurt. Then she disappeared into the dark, leaving Vlad standing alone, hand lightly touching where she'd kissed him.

**Daphne P.O.V.**

_What the hell just happened?_ Daphne asked herself as she walked back towards her cabin. Vlad had just told her that they couldn't be friends because of some girl back home and she'd kissed his cheek and walked away. What in the world. Daphne almost hoped she'd see Selena before both of them went back to their cabins for the night.

Almost as if by magic, or the amazing power of telepathy shared by best friends, Selena appeared in front of Daphne. "Hey!" she said, smiling wide. That smile quickly faded when she saw the look on her friend's face. "What's wrong?"

Daphne grabbed Selena's hand and pulled her into a less populated area. "Vlad just popped up out of nowhere, asked if we could talk, told me we couldn't be friends because of his girlfriend back home, accidentally told me he was starting to like me, I kissed him on the cheek and walked away. I know this is stupid considering we only met, like, a week ago, but I feel like I've known him all my life. Tell me why that hurts so much, that he just walked away from me even though we just met. Why does that hurt? Why did he have to do that?"

A look came across Selena's face, a look of pity and guilt, for some reason, but Daphne was too confused and upset to think on it too much. "I just want to go to bed." Daphne said. "I'll talk to you tomorrow." With that, she turned and walked towards her cabin, headed for her bed.

**Selena P.O.V.**

**Hours later**

Selena lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. The look in Daphne's eyes...Vlad had really hurt her just by saying whatever he did. Why was that? Guys had dated Daph for months and dumped her and she hadn't hardly cared, but for some reason Vlad had hurt her badly after a week. What did that mean?

Selena sighed. Just as she was about to fall asleep, she gasped, eyes wide. She was pulled into something like a vision, similar to the one she'd had when she'd first seen Daphne and Vlad together...

_Daphne stood in a forest of some sort. Her hair was down, covered by a dark purple strip of fabric. She was wearing a dress of the same color, with gold buttons on the top of the thin sleeves. On her feet she wore golden sandals. She glanced around a tree, waiting. But waiting for what?_

_Suddenly Vlad appeared. He was dressed yet again as a warrior. He caught sight of Daphne and ran to her._

_"You made it," he breathed, taking her hands in his. "I was worried they'd catch you."_

_Daphne smiled. "They don't even know I'm gone. All the locks in the world could not keep me from you, love."_

_Vlad smiled, then leaned in and kissed Daphne. After a moment he pulled back, eyes troubled. Daphne saw his face. Her expression twisted to match his._

_"What is it?" she asked._

_"I must go to war." Vlad said. "Your father will not help me."_

_"But surely, if I ask-" _

_Vlad pressed his finger to her lips. "No, you must not get involved. I leave at dawn."_

_Daphne looked away. Vlad pulled her face back up, forcing her to meet his eyes. Tears were gathering in hers, but she kept her face strong. "You must return to me." she said._

_"Of course. No army in the world could keep me from you, no matter how strong." Vlad said with a smile. "This is only a temporary goodbye."_

_He pressed his lips to hers once more before looking deeply into her eyes, taking a few steps back, and leaving. Daphne's hand was frozen in midair. Slowly she put them to her face and began to weep..._

Selena was forced back out of the vision as quickly as she'd been pulled in. She sat upright in bed. What in the world was going on? First she seems them on a beach, now in a forest...and why were they kissing? Why did she call him "love"? Was it possible that Selena was having visions from a past life?

No, that was impossible. They were just weird daydreams, she finally decided, though she didn't exactly believe it. Weird daydreams that she couldn't stop when she wanted and that seemed incredibly real.

With a shudder and a troubled mind, Selena lay back down and fell into a restless sleep.

**Well, there's chapter 7! Please review and subscribe :) I'll try to update soon, but my crappy computers are rather irritating, so I may be updating a lot this weekend. **

**Selena: Why do **_**I**_** have to be the one with the freaky visions?**

**Annabeth: Suck it up, buttercup.**

**Selena: *irritated* You know what, Annabeth-**

**Percy: Calm down girls!**

**Selena/Annabeth:STAY OUT OF IT, PERCY!**

**Percy: And I'm out.**

**Vlad: Um, I wasn't an ancient Grecian warrior.**

**Me: Yeah you were. And Percy was your noble steed.**

**Percy: Excuse me?!**

**Me: Oh, nothing.**

**Percy: One day, woman...one day...**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey! Sorry that it took so long to update, I've been rather busy. But here's chapter 8 (featuring everyone's favorite goddess and a little VladxDaphne action xD). Please rate and review! :)**

**Vlad P.O.V.**

A week had passed since Vlad had stopped talking to Daphne. He'd tried to look for her around camp, but she was successfully avoiding him. This made Vlad upset, but he'd been trying not to focus on it too much.

Vlad had been focusing on his hunger instead. The camp fed him well, but there was one thing it couldn't provide him with: blood. He hadn't fed in almost three weeks; maybe longer, depending on when he'd last fed before he came here, which he couldn't quite remember. The throbbing in his gums was becoming stronger, and when campers injured themselves and bled it was all he could do not to unleash his fangs on them. Finally he'd decided to go see Chiron about it.

Annabeth was helping a younger camper figure out how to use a bow and arrow. _She normally knows where he is,_ Vlad thought, approaching her. "Hey, Annabeth. Do you know where Chiron is?"

"He should be in his cabin." Annabeth said. "Why?"

"I just need to talk to him. Thanks." Vlad replied, hurrying away before she could press him further.

Chiron was indeed at his cabin, reading a book of some sorts. Vlad knocked on the open door before entering.

"Oh, Vladimir, come in." Chiron said, hastily replacing the book on his bookshelf. "What can I do for you?"

"Um, I kind of need to talk to you about something...important."

Chiron nodded. "It's about your need to feed, isn't it?"

Vlad blinked. "How...how did you know?"

"I've been reading about your kind. I'm surprised you haven't come to me before now, honestly. Don't worry; I'll find someone for you to feed from."

Vlad breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks."

"Goodbye, Vladimir." Chiron said with a smile.

"Bye." Vlad said, leaving. _I wonder who he'll have me feed from?_ he wondered as he walked.

**Chiron P.O.V.**

Chiron shut the door after Vlad left, sighing heavily. _**Close the blinds,**_ a voice hissed in his head. Chiron stiffened before doing as he was told. When every blind in the room had been shut and light from the outside world, Chiron slowly turned to face the center of the room.

From nowhere appeared a tall, beautiful woman. Her long, brown hair was down, with silver ribbons woven through it. Though her clothing, a white dress, was simple, it only enhanced her beauty. Her brown eyes bore into Chiron's.

"Hello, Hera." Chiron said in a tired voice.

"Chiron." Hera said. "Let's get down to business, shall we?"

"Quick to the point as usual. Yes, of course."

"I've been watching Apollo's daughter and the vampire. Whatever you think you have to gain by stopping their relationship, put those thoughts from your mind. They should continue to spend time together as they were _before_ you and your pets forced them away from each other."

Chiron's eyes widened in shock. "But, Hera, the prophecy-"

"Listen to me." Hera hissed, reaching Chiron by taking one quick step across the room. She jabbed a long fingernail underneath his chin, forcing him to look at her. "The boy needs to feed. He will feed from Daphne, you will make sure of that. You will keep yourself, Annabeth, and Percy Jackson out of their relationship. You will wait from further instructions from me, and me alone. Am I understood?"

For one moment, Chiron thought about saying no. If the prophecy was fulfilled, this could create a war of the gods. Hera, apparently able to read his mind, smiled wickedly.

"You think her death will anger Apollo, don't you? Relax. I will handle him."

"Why do you want Daphne to die?" Chiron asked.

"Don't concern yourself with my motives. You are a pawn, Chiron, as all mortals are. Nothing more than a pawn in the game of the gods." Hera leaned in close to Chiron's face. "And pawns do not ask questions."

Chiron, though he wanted to deny it, knew Hera was right. Looking through history, he couldn't deny that the gods used humans and demi-gods alike for whatever they pleased. This was no different. Chiron knew the force of Hera's wrath; he couldn't risk bringing that down on the camp, which he knew is what would happen if he refused her.

"I will arrange for Daphne to be the one Vlad feeds from. Their relationship will be allowed to continue." Chiron said, defeated.

Hera smiled. "Good. I will be watching."

With that, she took a step back and disappeared.

Chiron reopened his blinds and sighed. As much as he wanted to try and stop the prophecy, he had a feeling that somehow it would come to pass. Going against Hera was not in his best interest. Right now he had to focus on keeping Daphne and Vlad safe, as well as everyone else, while also trying to figure out Hera's motives.

_First things first,_ Chiron thought. _I need to let Vlad feed before he does something regrettable_.

Chiron walked outside and grabbed the first camper he saw. "Bring me Daphne Blane and Vladimir Tod." The girl nodded and ran off.

Chiron rubbed his temple and sighed. This was going to be a long day...

**Daphe P.O.V.**

Daphne walked up to Chiron's cabin, not sure what exactly was going on. A girl had told her he wanted to see her, then run off. Daphne hadn't broken any rules, so why was she being summoned?

She knocked on his door, playing with her hair until it opened. "Ah, Daphne, come in." Chiron said, leading her through his cabin into a small room. Standing in the corner was Vlad.

Vlad was leaning against the wall, hands crossed over his chest. As soon as he saw Daphne he jumped to attention, eyes wide. "No." he said. "Not her."

"Not me what?" Daphne asked, confused.

"Vladimir needs to feed." Chiron said. "He asked me to find someone for him to feed from."

"I can't feed from her." Vlad said.

"And why not?" Daphne asked. "Something wrong with me?"

"N-No, I just..."

Chiron interrupted. "You don't have a choice. I'll be back later." With that, he left the room and shut the door before either of them could object. Daphne heard the click of a lock. Suddenly it was awkwardly quiet.

"You haven't fed since you've been here." Daphne said, choosing to ignore the elephant in the room.

"No." Vlad said.

"So feed." Daphne took a few steps towards him.

Something flickered in Vlad's eyes, something between fear and hesitation. Daphne took another step, moving closer to him. "You need to feed, Vlad. You know that no one else in camp will be okay with you feeding from them. Use me."

Vlad was wearing down, she could tell. He knew she was right. He took a step, closer to her, closing the space between them. He grabbed her by the arms and forced her against the wall. Daphne was eye-level with his shoulder. He smelled so _good_. Having him being close to her made her heart leap into her throat.

"Are you sure about this?" Vlad huskily whispered in her ear. Daphne could tell he was hungry, barely restraining himself, by the force in his grip and the way his fangs had elongated. Surprisingly, she wasn't scared by them. His breathing was faster than usual, and he felt heavy against her.

"Yes." Daphne whispered.

"Tell me if I hurt you." Vlad said, moving her hair from her neck. He hesitated slightly, lips brushing against her neck, sending her pulse racing. Then he bit her. She felt sharp pain briefly, then it numbed. All of her felt numb, but it felt good and right...

**Vlad P.O.V.**

_She's so soft,_ Vlad thought as he fed from Daphne, carefully controlling the amount of blood he took. Her blood was dizzyingly delicious, sweet like wine. It was intoxicating. He couldn't get enough, which was precisely why he had to be careful. Her eyelashes flickered as she let out a soft moan. He began to pull back, only somewhat satisfied, but she pulled him back down to her. He resumed feeding.

"I'll tell you when to stop." she whispered.

He chuckled. He planned on stopping soon anyways. Reluctantly, he released her, licking his lips. _Damn, _he thought. She rubbed her neck where he'd fed from her, breathing heavily. Suddenly she slumped down, her legs giving way beneath her. He caught her, falling to the ground. She leaned against him, weak from being fed from. "Are you alright?" he asked softly.

"Yes. I'm fine." Daphne said, her voice weak. Vlad smiled. She looked up at him. He brushed a stray lock of hair out of her face. She smiled, sending butterflies to his stomach.

_I don't know what this is, or why it feels so good, but this feels...right. Too right. Too...amazing._ Vlad thought, resting his chin against Daphne's head. He wanted to hold her, as if they could ever be together, for just a minute more before he would let thoughts of Snow invade his troubled mind once again.


	9. Chapter 9

**Next chapter! Sorry it took so long and it's kinda short. I'll be updating longer chapters soon, I just ran out of ideas for this one. Anyways, not much to say except the usual "I (sadly) don't own" disclaimer. Enjoy **

**Vlad P.O.V.**

Vlad was screwed. Totally screwed. He had carried Daphne to her cabin when she fell asleep, weak from being fed from for the first time. In the moonlight, she looked so delicate, Vlad became afraid he'd break her if he dropped her or held her too tight. Her eyelashes fluttered against her pale cheeks when a breeze blew around them. The camp was dark, quiet. Everyone was in bed.

Vlad, being the stealthy beast he was, silently crept into Daphne's cabin without disturbing any of her fellow campers and laid her on her bed. Her hair framed her face, and for a second Vlad imagined what it would be like to kiss her. Immediately he felt guilty and reminded himself how much he loved Snow, but he couldn't get the thought of Daphne's lips on his out of his head.

So, as he lay in his temporary bed that night, Vlad couldn't stop thinking about how screwed he was. He could _not_ fall for Daphne, but could he control that? _No, stop_, he thought. _You're gonna go home one day and she won't be with you. Snow will. Now stop asshole._

He forced himself to try and remember Snow. All he could really pull to the front of his memory was her face, and that he loved her. He couldn't remember how they'd met or how long they'd been together (if they even were). All the details about his past life were a fuzzy haze, like someone had pulled a wool curtain over his memory. He sighed in frustration.

"Where the hell is my memory?!" he shouted, punching his pillow.

No one was there to tell him where it had gone, or why he was there, or why he couldn't remember his life. He didn't know how to get his memory back, or why he had woken up at Camp Half-Blood in the first place. Vlad didn't understand a lot of things, but he was too tired to think about it tonight. Finally he fell asleep. The last thing he thought about before being pulled into a dreamless sleep was Daphne…

**Annabeth P.O.V.**

"What do you mean, 'let them be'?" Annabeth was outraged. Chiron had just told her and Percy not to interfere with Vlad and Daphne's relationship, whatever that may be. "You expect us to let them grow close when the prophecy _clearly says_—"

"Annabeth, stop." Percy said. "Chiron clearly has his reasons, though I'd love to hear what they are."

Chiron sighed. "It isn't up to me. I got a visit from Hera."

"Oh gods, what did _she_ want?" Annabeth asked. Hera was less than her favorite goddess by far.

"She told me we have no choice but to let their relationship continue. We are pawns," he said, wrinkling his face in disgust at the word Hera had used, "according to the gods, and they won't explain anything to us. I have no idea what Hera wants with them, but we can't interfere."

"Oh no way." Percy said. "We can't just let them die."

"It's out of our hands, Percy." Chiron said. "Keep an eye on them, but do not interfere."

Annabeth could tell Percy didn't like that plan, but she also knew the camp couldn't afford to bring Hera's wrath on them. "Fine. We watch them. If anything happens we step in."

Chiron nodded, and the two left. Once outside, Percy began fuming.

"We can't let them die Annabeth." He said.

"I don't intend on letting that happen." She replied, catching sight of Selena. "Hey, Selena! Come here."

Selena jogged up. Annabeth noticed Percy's eyes on her. Jealousy flared up in her. "What's up?" Selena asked.

"Chiron wants us to stay out of Daphne and Vlad's friendship or relationship or whatever it is. Hera's orders."

Selena nodded slowly. "Well if Hera wants us to…"

"But we're gonna keep an eye on them." Annabeth added.

"Okay. But, um, guys?" Selena said as Annabeth and Percy turned away.

"Yes?" Annabeth said, turning back.

Selena's eyes held a protective glare directed at the two. "Daphne is my best friend. If anything happens to her, anything at all, I'm holding the two of you accountable."

With that, Selena turned and walked away. Annabeth stared after her, dumbfounded. _No one_ talked to her like that and got away with it. As she started to follow after the girl, Percy grabbed her hand. "She's just looking out for her friend." He said. "Relax."

"Yeah, I guess…" Annabeth said as he led her away, though she was still kind of pissed. As they walked, they caught sight of Daphne training with some other kids. Vlad walked past, caught her eye, and waved. She smiled, then continued fighting.

Annabeth sighed. Keeping this girl safe was going to be a challenge…

**Daphne P.O.V.**

Daphne couldn't get Vlad feeding from her out of her head. She'd never felt anything like it. It hurt like a bitch, but it brought her an unexplainable kind of pleasure. Like a hickey, only without the annoying mark. She found herself unconsciously putting her hand to the two nearly undetectable fang marks on her neck throughout the day, desperately wishing she could feel the sensation of being fed from again.

She didn't remember much from after, just passing out. She'd woken up in her bed like she did every morning with no memory of how she'd gotten there. The only thing she could figure was that Vlad had taken her there.

While she was training, he strolled past. He waved, she smiled, he smiled back, her heart skipped a beat, he kept walking, she ducked to avoid getting knocked out. _This is ridiculous, _she thought as she swung a sword towards her opponent, _he has a girlfriend. I can't be falling for him._

But somewhere Daphne knew she couldn't control it. He was invading her thoughts, her daydreams, her sleep. He was everywhere, and as annoying as it was, she had to admit she kind of liked it. As soon as her training ended, Daphne headed towards the showers. As hot water poured over her, she remembered Vlad's fangs in her neck, sucking blood out of her. Goose bumps popped up over her skin.

"Damn." She whispered. "I'm falling for a freaking vampire with a girlfriend."

**Me: Well, there's the next chapter!**

**Annabeth: Damn, Hera's always screwing with us.**

**Vlad: Hera? Don't tell me she has it out for me.**

**Annabeth: You know who Hera is?**

**Vlad: *looks at her like she's stupid* Well yeah, I read Greek mythology, I'm not stupid just cause I'm not a demigod.**

**Annabeth: YOU LITTLE- *chases Vlad with a chainsaw***

**Percy: Calm down!**

**Me: *watches with popcorn* Please rate and review **


	10. Chapter 10

**So sorry that it took so long to update! But I think this chapter is well worth the wait ;) Read on, my friends!**

**Annabeth P.O.V.**

Night fell quickly over the camp that night. She strolled through the training grounds, wandering alone, lost in thought. She didn't particularly care for or trust Vlad and Daphne, but she didn't want them to die, especially knowing Hera wanted their deaths. What Annabeth couldn't figure out was _why_. What was so special about these two that Hera wanted to make sure they died? And why did she want them dead anyways? None of this made sense.

"Want some company?"

Annabeth smiled and turned around, relieved. "Percy." She said. "I was starting to think you weren't going to show."

Percy walked over to her and put his hands on her hips. "Not show? For you? Never."

He bent his head down and kissed her, lightly at first, but the passion grew until his arms were encircling her waist and her hands were in his hair. Kissing him felt so good, like a release of some sort. She didn't have to be perfect with him, but their kisses and stolen moments together were. He loved her, and she loved him, and some days she thought that was all that mattered.

As he pulled away from her and pressed his forehead to hers, Annabeth's heart dropped. She felt so amazing with Percy, like it was more right than anything in the world should be allowed to be. She knew she'd die for him, for their love, without a moment's hesitation. Maybe they weren't the best together, and maybe people thought it was wrong, but she wouldn't give him up. _Is this how Daphne and Vlad feel?_ She wondered, feeling guilt. _Like they belong together no matter what anyone else thinks?_

Suddenly she wasn't so sure about their plan to tear the two apart.

**Selena P.O.V.**

Selena and Daphne walked back to their cabins together after dinner. Daphne was chattering about something or other ; Selena wasn't really listening. She kept looking at her friend and thinking, _Will she survive the prophecy?_

"Sel? Are you listening?" Daphne asked.

"Huh?" Selena asked. "Oh, uh, yeah."

Daphne laughed. "No you aren't. You seem really tired. Go on and go to sleep, I'll tell you tomorrow."

Selena smiled and said goodnight to her friend before entering her cabin. She brushed her hair, put it in a pony tail, threw on her pajamas, and fell into bed. She was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

Selena dreamed again of Daphne as if from ancient Grecian times.

_Daphne was running through a city, knocking people out of her way in her haste. Footsteps thundered behind her, along with shouts of "Halt!" and "Catch her!" Finally one of her pursuers—a guard of some sort—grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her. _

"_We've caught you now, girl." He sneered in her ear. "No one can save you from the law."_

_Suddenly a man appeared, seemingly from thin air, next to the guard. He was a gorgeous creature: well-kept, sandy hair; bright blue eyes; and a body that would attract any girl to him. And he looked very, very pissed off._

"_Let her go." He said in a commanding tone of voice._

_The guard holding on to Daphne smirked. "Sorry, boy, but she's coming with me."_

_The mysterious man's eyes hardened. "Actually, she's not." _

_Everything went white. Then, suddenly, the mysterious man and Daphne were standing in a field, alone but for the two of them._

"_Who are you?" Daphne asked, backing away from the stranger that had somehow brought her away from the city in a matter of seconds. "Where are we? What's going on?!"_

"_Calm down and I'll explain everything." The man said. Seeing that Daphne was silent, he continued. "I am Apollo, god of the sun."_

_Daphne's eyes widened. "Y-You…you're…you're Apollo?"_

"_Yes, child. I am Apollo. Do not bow to me," he said, for Daphne had begun to get on her knees. She stood back up. "We are far away from the city. You are safe here. I'm going to tell you something, something that you will forget until the moment you need it."_

_Daphne took a deep breath and nodded her head, indicating that Apollo could continue._

"_You and your lover? You will die. You will die for your love many times, for many years. When you are finally in the right time, you will finally be together. But, you will have to fight a great battle. Many lives will be lost. You will be betrayed. Through the bloodshed and betrayal, you must remember the strength of your love." _

_Daphne's eyes were wide. She opened her mouth to say something…._

And Selena woke up. _Dammit_, she thought, _what was she going to say?!_ As she lay in bed, looking at the ceiling, Selena thought about the dream over and over, making sense of it. _Apollo told her she won't remember it until it's time…time for what?_ Selena wondered. _Is there going to be a battle? And betrayal…that was in the prophecy too, wasn't it?_

Selena sighed. _What do I do?_

**Percy P.O.V.**

The next day began as normally as any at Camp Half-Blood. Percy was trying desperately to beat an Ares kid in a fight—a battle he was destined to lose—when suddenly the sky turned black. Not just it-was-about-to-rain black. The clouds that rolled in out of nowhere were literally pitch-black. Percy could only think of one reason for the sky to look like that: some god was _pissed_. There was a crack of thunder so loud Percy's fellow campers clamped their hands over their ears and winced.

"Everyone inside!" Chiron yelled. Into the Dining Pavilion the campers ran.

"Percy!" He heard Annabeth call out. He turned to find her, and then she was in his arms, briefly, but still. "What's going on?" she asked.

"I have no idea."

"Percy! Annabeth!" It was Vlad. "Where's Daphne?"

"Probably with Selena." Annabeth said. Vlad nodded and ran off to find the girls. "I know Chiron told us not to, but I still want to keep them away from each other." Annabeth said to Percy.

"I know. So do I. But we have to follow orders."

Percy caught sight of Vlad standing across the room, finally having found Daphne and Selena. The two girls looked slightly afraid. He seemed to be comforting them.

The room was flooded with choruses of "What's going on?" and "Which one of the gods is mad and why?" Everyone knew Mr. D would probably be useless, seeing as he was laughing loudly, red in the face and quite drunk. Chiron stepped to the center of the room and took charge.

"Everyone quiet!" he yelled. No one spoke.

As the room went silent, a booming voice could be heard throughout the camp. "Demigods! This is Hermes speaking." Knowing he had everyone's attention, the god continued. "We have a very serious problem that has angered the gods. Someone has kidnapped Aphrodite."

All of the Aphrodite kids immediately freaked out. Percy tried to comprehend it. A goddess had gone missing from Mount Olympus. How in the hell had that happened? Mount Olympus was the home of the gods, and one of them had been _kidnapped_ from there? What the hell was gonna happen next?

Hermes' voice was gone, his message over. Outside, the sky was still black, but everyone was panicking. Would their parent be next? Where was Aphrodite? Who could be powerful enough to invade the home of the gods and kidnap one?

Suddenly, somehow, a tapestry in the corner caught on fire. Screams echoed through the hall as the campers flooded out to escape the flames. As soon as everyone was outside, mysteriously, the flames died down.

"What's going on?" Percy wondered aloud, suddenly suspicious. He looked around for anything out of the ordinary, and then…

"Daphne! Look out!" he yelled, but it was too late. A shadow surrounded her, black and thick, billowing up like smoke. It came from behind. As soon as she saw it, her eyes became filled with terror.

Somehow the shadow pulled her down. She hit the ground with a loud thud. Finally she could scream as it dragged her away, too fast for anyone to process.

"Daphne!" Vlad shouted, running alongside Selena to catch her.

He dove, and his hands touched hers, and for a minute Percy thought he was going to save her. But then, with a sickening, terrified scream, Daphne vanished into the shadow, into midair. She was gone.

The whole camp stood, frozen, petrified. That certainly hadn't been one of the gods summoning her, which could only mean one thing: someone had somehow infiltrated the camp's barriers.

"Everyone to your cabins, now." Chiron ordered, his voice deadly soft. Slowly the onlookers made their ways to their respective cabins. "Except for you, Vlad and Selena. I want to see you two in my office." Without even waiting to see if they'd follow, Chiron turned and walked away.

"Should we go too?" Annabeth whispered to Percy.

Percy shook his head. "No. He didn't ask us to come. Let's just go to bed."

Reluctantly, the two left the scene, casting glances back at Vlad and Selena as they went.

**Vlad P.O.V.**

Right there. She'd been _right there_, and she'd slipped from between his fingers. When his fingertips had brushed against hers, he'd felt the absolute terror that was reflected in her eyes. It hadn't yet left him.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. He realized he was still lying on the ground, but in that moment he could've cared less. "Vlad." It was Selena. "We have to go see Chiron."

"She was right there, right in my reach, and I didn't save her." Vlad whispered.

Selena tilted his head up until he met her eyes. They were beautiful, sure, but they had nothing on Daphne's. "Chiron will help us save her. Come on, Vlad."

Slowly, and with Selena's hands on his arm and back, Vlad stood up. The two of them walked together to Chiron's office. He was pacing back and forth, apparently talking to himself. When he finally noticed them, he hastily motioned for them to come in.

"No immortal could've breached the security." Chiron said in a rushed tone. "It was no god, or titan, or immortal, or even demigod that did this. In fact, it was no one from our side of the tracks, so to speak."

"What are you saying?" Selena asked, but Vlad understood.

"You think it was someone from my past."

Chiron nodded while Selena looked at him in shock. "That's right. No one else could've gotten here. I know your memory is fuzzy, but do you have any idea who might want to hurt you, or who might want revenge against you? Anyone at all?"

Vlad thought hard for a long minute. _Come on, memory._ He thought. _I really need you to work right now_. But nothing came except fuzzy images that hurt his head. "I'm sorry," he said, shoulders slumped, "but I can't—"

He froze as a wave of a memory hit him. "Vlad?" he heard Selena ask. "What's wrong?" But he couldn't answer. _Black gloves. Black clothes. The Lucis. The Pravus. An Elder._

"D'Ablo." Vlad said suddenly, looking straight ahead, clenching his fist. "That bastard must've found me somehow. He's been trying to kill me for two years now."

"Do you remember anything else about him?" Chiron asked.

"I thought I killed him with the Lucis, but he got healed. He hates me for being the Pravus, he wants my powers. And he's an Elder, as well as being the president of the Elysian council."

Selena looked impressed. "Wow. That came back quick."

"That's all I remember. No face, no voice, nothing but that."

"Still, it's enough." Chiron said. "I need to be advised. You two may go, for now."

As Selena and Vlad left, Selena started crying. Vlad pulled her to a secluded area where no one would see. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, I'm being ridiculous. It's just..Daphne is my best friend. I don't want anything to happen to her." Selena sniffed.

"Trust me, neither do I." Vlad said. "But I promise—"

"Wait, there's…something I need to tell you." Selena bit her lip. "Percy, Annabeth, and Chiron wanted to plot to keep you two apart. They pulled me in on it. Percy used you having a girlfriend against you, to convince you to walk away from Daphne. But she really likes you, and I didn't want to hurt my friend."

Vlad blinked. _That sneaky little…_ "Why are you telling me this?"

Selena met his eyes. "Because I trust you, and I want you to trust me. Because we're the only ones who are going to be willing to do literally anything to get Daphne back. We're going to need to trust each other if no one else. And I don't think we can trust Percy or Annabeth. I think at the end of the day, they're going to want to do what they think is best. Everyone believes you two are the lovers in the prophecy; they're going to have the camp's 'best interest' in mind as opposed to Daphne's, whether they're right or wrong."

"What are you saying?" Vlad asked.

"I trust you. I need you to trust me. That's the only way we'll be able to work together to get her back."

Vlad nodded. "Alright. You're right. I trust you."

Selena smiled a little bit, but it faded quickly and was replaced with a tear rolling down her cheek. "We'll get her back, right?"

"Yeah," Vlad said. "I swear we will. I'll make sure of it."

**Daphne P.O.V.**

It was cold, and dark. She was alone. The thick smoke had choked her, clouded her eyes. The next thing she could see was a few feet around her in some kind of room. The floor was stone, she could feel, and froze her skin when she touched it. She became aware of pain in her knee, the one she'd landed on when she got pulled down. Squinting in the darkness, she found it was scratched up and bruised, but not too badly injured otherwise. In the distance she heard a door squeak open, and then footsteps. _If there's one thing I've learned from horror movies, it's not to ask if anyone's there_, Daphne thought, clamping her mouth shut. The footsteps grew louder and louder until finally, a few feet in front of her, they stopped. A light flicked on, so bright she had to blink rapidly to adjust her eyes.

Quickly Daphne took in her surroundings. She could see now that she was in some sort of cell. It was maybe seven feet by eight feet, give or take a few inches. The floor was, in fact, stone of some sort; it looked like cement. The walls were made of cinder blocks. The ceiling was maybe ten or twelve feet above her. There were no windows or any means of escape except for the bars blocking her into the room. Finally she looked up at the person that had entered the room. He wore all black, including black gloves, and looked to be around the age of an average adult. His hair was dark and slicked back, and the smile on his face sent chills down Daphne's spine.

_You are the child of a god_, she reminded herself, _do not show him fear_.

"Hello, Daphne." The man said. "I understand you know a boy named Vladimir Tod. This is lucky for me, but for you?" He tsk'd. "That boy has just signed your death warrant."

The man bent down and pressed his face close to the bars that held Daphne in. "Such a shame. You're a pretty girl. He could've made you a drudge, if he wasn't the Pravus."

_The Pravus and the ocean's son! _Daphne remembered. "Alright, I bite. What the hell is a 'Pravus'?"

"He has told you nothing, has he? Ah, wait, he probably can't remember. Thank goodness Gaea awoke mine."

Daphne didn't even bother hiding the shock at hearing Gaea's name fall from the man's lips. He smirked at her expression. "Yes, I know who you are. You're the daughter of a god. I honestly didn't believe it when she told me, but then again I didn't believe that I'd be here either. I don't want to hurt you. I honestly want nothing to do with you. But she wants the same thing as I: for Vladimir to be dead. Unfortunately, she gave me by summer's solstice to do it. Which is where you come in." Daphne felt her stomach drop. "He will find you, faithful to his friends as he is. He will find a way. Once he is here, I will kill him, and the boy that Gaea wants will die as well. What was his name again? Perry? Pearly? Oh, yes…Percy."

"Why do you want them dead?" Daphne asked.

"Oh I don't want the demigod dead, just the Pravus. That's right, you don't know what that is. Care to know?" He took Daphne's silence as a cue to continue. "He is the only vampire who was born, not made. His father, Thomas Tod, had relations with a beautiful woman named Mellina. She became pregnant, which has never before happened. So they stole away to the little town of Bathory, where they were safe for nearly ten years. But then, tragically, they died in a fire, leaving Vlad orphaned and in the care of Mellina's best friend, Nelly. The Pravus is rumoured to have remarkable powers, and I want them. To obtain his powers, I must kill young Vladimir. Do you understand? It's nothing personal, just business."

"You bastard." Daphne spit out at him.

The man's smile widened. "That's one word for me. But I would prefer if you called me by my name. D'Ablo."

**Hope you enjoyed! Please rate and review **** NOTE: I was not sure how D'Ablo was described because I couldn't remember. If you know how he actually looks, please comment and let me know and I will change it pronto. Thank you **

**Vlad: He kidnapped Daphne to get to me! That son of a b—**

**Percy: Let's watch the language here, kids!**

**Selena: PERCY SHUT THE FUCK UP.**

**Percy: Well now. That was rude.**

**Selena: My best friend was just kidnapped by a **_**psychopath**_**. Call me rude again and I will put you on a plane to Egypt.**

**Percy: But but but I don't like planes!**

**Selena: *evil smile* I know.**

**Annabeth: Hey guys! Let's all calm down and just keep swimming, just keep swimming!**

**Vlad: And these are the idiots I'm relying on to help me…where's Henry when you need him…**

**Me: Knowing Henry, probably snogging some cute girl. (I love that word—snogging is so fun to say)**

**Vlad:….This is true….**

**Me: Bye readers! **


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